Spring Conference on Learning and Teaching: Call for session proposals

The President’s Teaching Scholars invite proposals from CU faculty to organize and conduct sessions on learning and teaching for the annual Spring Conference from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, March 9, 2012, on the Anschutz Medical Campus. A social hour with light refreshments will follow from 2 to 3 p.m.

CU faculty members also are welcome to register to attend the conference. There are 100 seats available and there is no charge; registration details will be announced soon.

The conference theme takes a broad view of learning and teaching. Aspects of this include examples for inclusion of social and cultural issues in the classroom environment; the development of learning and problem-solving skills; addressing individual differences in learning; online course learning; classroom pedagogy; research on a particular aspect of learning in one’s course; how to deal with varying degrees of student openness to learning; and other related topics. Proposals regarding entire programs and their development, however, do not fit the focus of this conference.

Workshop-style sessions that emphasize interactive, audience participation, rather than passive listening, will be strongly favored by the organizing committee. Many attendees of the 2011 conference commented that offering practical “take-home” suggestions was a real strength, so this practice also is encouraged. And due to the concurrent format of the meeting, speakers from prior years are welcome to propose a repeat of a previous session.

Note that conference sessions are allocated in one-hour time slots, and if a panel of presenters is proposed, it must be limited to two panelists.

To propose a session, please submit the following information in Word or PDF format to ftep@colorado.edu, by Friday, Nov. 4:

Session Title

One paragraph with a detailed description

Name and contact information, including cell phone and/or email

Any other supporting information you wish to provide

Limit to one page total

Organizers will select sessions from the proposals submitted based on their relation to the learning and teaching theme described above, anticipated audience interest, and overall balance with other sessions.